Lawmakers from Brussels and Beijing clashed on Russia and Taiwan, during their first official talks for seven years in the Belgian capital on Thursday. EU lawmakers and other people present said delegates from the National People’s Congress (NPC) echoed Russian narratives on the cause of the three-year war in Ukraine, as they visited the European…
STRASBOURG (Reuters) -Recent drone incidents and other airspace violations show Europe is facing hybrid warfare to which it must respond with measures that go beyond traditional defence, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday. “This is not random harassment,” von der Leyen said in a speech in European Parliament in Strasbourg. “It…
The European Commission has unveiled sweeping measures to shield the EU’s struggling steel industry from a flood of overcapacity that it says is emanating from China, slashing tariff-free quotas by nearly half and doubling duties on excess shipments to 50 per cent. To take effect, the plan must be approved by the European Parliament and…
EU officials are scouring the continent for levers they can pull to inflict maximum pain on others, as they look to survive in a world in which allies and partners are weaponising Europe’s own dependencies at an alarming rate. Trade bureaucrats are building a database of potential chokepoints that can be squeezed as deterrents or…
Jian Guo was sentenced to four years and nine months on Tuesday, according to the news agency dpa. The Higher Regional Court of Dresden found the former aide to Maximilian Krah, a controversial but high-profile member of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, guilty of passing information about parliamentary negotiations and decisions to contacts in…
The first official meeting between the European Parliament and China’s National People’s Congress for seven years is slated for October 16, confirming a continued thaw in relations between the two chambers. The meeting has been in the works for months since the sides moved to lift restrictions on each other, but it was confirmed by…
If Brussels bureaucrats returning from their long summer breaks this week were wondering what they missed, the local press had them covered. Unbecoming scenes at June’s Nato summit, the “hopelessly one-sided” trade deal with the United States in July, as well as President Xi Jinping’s refusal to travel to Belgium for that month’s summit with…
This year marks half a century of formal diplomatic relations between China and the European Union as well as the 25th anniversary of the founding of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. In this, the fourth part of the series, Shi Jiangtao looks at how the issue of Taiwan is overshadowing the relationship….
US President Donald Trump is keen to visit China but a September visit is not happening, according to sources, who said Beijing and Washington were working to secure a trip in October or November. Hurdles remain, but high-level officials “share a consensus”, sources familiar with the matter told the South China Morning Post. Media reports…
This year marks half a century of formal diplomatic relations between China and the European Union as well as the 25th anniversary of the founding of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. In this, the first of a series of reports examining ties between the two powers, Shi Jiangtao looks at the influence…